Nats will keep piecing together lineup while waiting for "cavalry"

Nats will keep piecing together lineup while waiting for "cavalry"
As he tried to put Bryce Harper's knee injury into context with the rest of the ailments that have been suffered by the Nationals this summer, Mike Rizzo managed to crack a quick smile with one line. "We've got some significant WAR on the disabled list right now," the general manager said. "And we're still playing extremely well." Indeed, the Nationals already had Trea Turner, Adam Eaton, Jayson Werth, Michael A. Taylor, Stephen Strasburg, Joe Ross, Stephen Drew, Shawn Kelley and Koda...

Newcomers and veterans mixing well makes for strong Nats clubhouse

Newcomers and veterans mixing well makes for strong Nats clubhouse
In a team sport like baseball, chemistry on and off the field, specifically how each teammate treats the other, how they motivate and help each other, regardless of age or experience, goes a long way in how good the overall club can be in a highly competitive professional atmosphere. The Nationals enjoy a double-digit lead in their division due in large part to the talent they have on the field. But with all the injuries they have endured through the first 4 1/2 months of the season it might be...

Werth upbeat his return is close, begins running tomorrow

Werth upbeat his return is close, begins running tomorrow
Nationals left fielder Jayson Werth has been engaging in batting practice to start this homestand against the Marlins. He was seen taking swings last week during batting practice at Marlins Park, and that continued here at Nats Park. Werth has been on the disabled list since June 4 with a contusion that turned out to be a broken bone in his left foot. He has missed 57 games. Today he participated in a simulated game during early afternoon workouts, with right-hander Stephen Strasburg throwing...

Romero throwing again after injection for forearm tightness

Romero throwing again after injection for forearm tightness
Enny Romero was back throwing on the field at Nationals Park this afternoon, cleared to begin ramping up again after tests revealed the left-hander is dealing only with muscle tightness in his forearm and nothing more serious than that. Romero had to come out of Wednesday's game in Miami after complaining of arm trouble, and the Nationals placed him on the 10-day disabled list and sent him back to Washington while the club proceeded to Chicago for the weekend. Romero said he was examined by...

Strasburg bullpen "went real well," plus other injury updates

Strasburg bullpen "went real well," plus other injury updates
Manager Dusty Baker confirmed that right-hander Stephen Strasburg made it through his bullpen session Sunday very well. Strasburg has been on the disabled list with a right elbow nerve impingement retroactive to July 24. He has missed a couple of starts and this week will miss his third turn in a row. Pitching coach Mike Maddux on the Strasburg bullpen session work Sunday: "Good, went real well, threw a good bullpen." Maddux estimated Strasburg threw around 31 pitches during the bullpen...

Update on Scherzer and other injured Nationals (Nats down 7-0)

Update on Scherzer and other injured Nationals (Nats down 7-0)
MIAMI - Max Scherzer remained upbeat this afternoon, believing his neck injury isn't serious and can be fixed with a simple adjustment that could allow him to make his next start for the Nationals on schedule. Scherzer said he believes he has a pinched nerve in his neck, one that forced him out of Tuesday night's start after only one inning. The remedy: He plans to see a chiropractor sometime in the next 24 hours. It's too soon to know if Scherzer will be able to make his next start...

Strasburg has solid bullpen session plus notes on Werth and trade deadline

Strasburg has solid bullpen session plus notes on Werth and trade deadline
Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg took a solid step forward in his recovery from a right elbow nerve impingement with a smooth bullpen session on Saturday, according to general manager and president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo. Right-hander Erick Fedde will be called up Sunday to make his major league debut as Strasburg takes at least one start off. "He threw a bullpen today and came through it very well," Rizzo said. "We'll see how he feels tomorrow and feel it from...

Baker: Heisey, Raburn and Werth will head to West Palm Beach

Baker: Heisey, Raburn and Werth will head to West Palm Beach
Manager Dusty Baker confirmed that Chris Heisey, Jayson Werth and Ryan Raburn will accompany the team to Florida when the Nationals begin their six-game road trip in Miami. All three will rehab at the club's West Palm Beach facility. "Raburn and Heisey could be ready pretty soon, not sure when exactly," Baker confirmed, but Werth is not close to running yet. "They backed him off from running because it's not quite healing as fast as we would've liked," he said. "We are hoping," Baker...

Baker agrees with "big-picture" mentality for Strasburg's next start

Baker agrees with "big-picture" mentality for Strasburg's next start
There's some interesting news from Nationals manager Dusty Baker about the thought process that goes into whether or not Stephen Strasburg will make his next start. MASN's Dan Kolko relayed a conversation he had with Strasburg to Baker prior to Wednesday night's second game against the Brewers in which Baker said Strasburg has a big-picture mindset about the rest of the season and if the star pitcher has to miss a game because of "achiness" in his arm, that's OK as long as he is ready for...

Nats keep producing, but they miss their injured regulars

Nats keep producing, but they miss their injured regulars
It has at times been easy to overlook, because the group collectively continues to produce, but the Nationals do miss their injured position players. How could any lineup not miss Jayson Werth, Trea Turner and Michael A. Taylor, who progressively have gone on the disabled list over the last six weeks? "Do you want all your guys healthy? I think, of course," first baseman Ryan Zimmerman said after Tuesday night's 8-0 drubbing at the hands of the Brewers. "You look at the teams at the end of...

Updates on injured and excused players

Updates on injured and excused players
Besides an update on right-hander Stephen Strasburg, manager Dusty Baker also had updates on other injured or excused Nationals players. * Shortstop Trea Turner (right wrist fracture, June 30, 18 games missed): "Trea is getting an X-ray and follow-up this afternoon," Baker said. "I talked to him. He says he's feeling pretty good, but he's also in the hands of the doctor and the X-ray machine to see how he's coming along." During batting practice, Turner was fielding grounders with his...

Rizzo OK waiting for injured outfielders (Strasburg out)

Rizzo OK waiting for injured outfielders (Strasburg out)
PHOENIX - Despite their sudden influx of injuries, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said he's not likely to look outside the organization for outfield help before next week's non-waiver trade deadline, believing at least some of his regulars will be back in early to mid-August. Jayson Werth (fractured left foot) and Michael A. Taylor (strained right oblique) are both on the disabled list, with Werth transferred to the 60-day DL this morning. Chris Heisey (strained groin) was placed on the...

How Madson and Doolittle have evolved into elite relievers

How Madson and Doolittle have evolved into elite relievers
PHOENIX - The arrival this week of Ryan Madson and Sean Doolittle to the Nationals clubhouse was met with considerable exuberance. And why not, given the significance of the addition of two relievers with experience delivering in big moments to a bullpen that had all but lost the confidence of the rest of the roster. "It kind of sets your mind at ease," left fielder and unofficial clubhouse spokesman Jayson Werth said. "You've got some guys that have been there, been in the fire, been...

Injuries continue to force Baker to cobble together top of lineup

Injuries continue to force Baker to cobble together top of lineup
ANAHEIM, Calif. - It's part of any manager's job, trying to compensate for injuries, but the challenge for Dusty Baker over the last several weeks has been amplified. Baker already lost leadoff man Adam Eaton to a torn ACL at the end of April. Then he lost No. 2 hitter Jayson Werth to a significant bone bruise and slight fracture of his left foot in early June. Then he lost another top-of-the-order bat, Trea Turner, to a fractured wrist at the end of June. In the wake of all that, Baker has...

Fracture and bone bruise keeping Werth out (Nats win 4-3)

Fracture and bone bruise keeping Werth out (Nats win 4-3)
ANAHEIM, Calif. - Jayson Werth is back with the Nationals, and that part he likes. But he's not back playing with the Nationals, and likely won't be for some time with his left foot still ailing, and that part he does not like. "It's doing better," Werth said this afternoon. "It's just frustrating because this injury, the bone that's injured is crucial for running." The bone that's injured is the first metatarsal, the large bone at the base of his big toe. And in addition to the bone...

Nats top Reds 10-7, plus updates on Kelley, Taylor and Werth

Nats top Reds 10-7, plus updates on Kelley, Taylor and Werth
CINCINNATI - If reliever Shawn Kelley can get through throwing long toss and on flat ground today and Sunday, he could be in line to throw a bullpen session early next week "It could be Monday (or) Tuesday," Kelley said. "The bullpen depends on how the next two days of throwing goes." Kelley has been on the 10-day disabled list since June 18 (retroactive to June 17) with a right trapezius strain. It's his second stint on the DL this season, having previously been down with a lower back...

Nats awaiting results after Ross undergoes MRI arthrogram

Nats awaiting results after Ross undergoes MRI arthrogram
CINCINNATI - Right-hander Joe Ross, who was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a right elbow sprain on Friday afternoon, has undergone an enhanced diagnostic procedure called an MRI arthrogram, where dye is injected into the joint to determine the severity of an injury. News that Ross, who left Sunday's start after 3 1/3 innings with what was termed triceps tenderness, has a sprained elbow ligament could be a signal that the Nationals are preparing to be without him in the rotation for an...

Nationals hope to return recharged after All-Star break

Nationals hope to return recharged after All-Star break
Rarely does anyone ever try to claim the All-Star break came at a bad time. Just about every team in baseball happily takes the four-day midsummer hiatus offered to the entire league, uses that time to rest up physically and mentally and then returns recharged for the second half of the season. The Nationals certainly fall in that category. They limped a bit into the All-Star break, having played 36 games in 38 days, going 19-17 over that span, while also sending five key players to the...

Top second-half storylines for the Nationals

Top second-half storylines for the Nationals
As the second half of the season arrives, we have a pretty good idea just what the 2017 Nationals are. This is perhaps the most talented team they've had during their now-six-year run of contention, with an imposing and deep lineup, dominant starters atop the rotation and an experienced and productive bench. This is also, of course, a team with one gigantic hole that could blow the entire thing up: a bullpen that desperately needs a midseason makeover. There's also reason to be concerned...

With Taylor on DL and Werth weeks away, outfield shuffled again

With Taylor on DL and Werth weeks away, outfield shuffled again
They lost Adam Eaton to a season-ending ACL tear on April 28. They lost Jayson Werth to a bone bruise on the inside of his left foot on June 3. And now that they've lost Michael A. Taylor to a strained right oblique muscle, the Nationals are finding their outfield depth tested like never before. With Taylor officially placed on the 10-day disabled list this afternoon, the Nationals will turn to their third-string center fielder for the immediate future: Brian Goodwin. And they'll turn to a...